Leon Schools ponders closing multiple days with a likely Hurricane Helene incoming
Leon Schools Superintendent Rocky Hanna hinted at the possibility of closing schools down as early as Wednesday ahead of the fast-moving Potential Tropical Cyclone Nine that is expected to become a Category 3 Hurricane Helene.
While the track continues to shift, the storm is forecast to make landfall just south of Tallahassee in Florida’s Panhandle region Thursday evening.
During a school board review meeting Monday, Hanna updated school board members on details from a brief meeting with the National Weather Service and Emergency Management.
“The tone of that conversation was, this needs to be taken seriously,” Hanna said of the meeting with NWS and emergency management.
On Tuesday at 10:30 a.m. the district will be meeting with emergency management to discuss the possibility of closing schools, then they will meet with school principals at noon.
“We all see where its tracking and we’re all really concerned and we’re preparing for the worst and, of course, hoping for the best, but it’s still really early,” Hanna told board members.
The storm is expected to make landfall on Thursday, but the district may close schools on Wednesday to prepare to transition the schools into shelters. If schools close Wednesday through Friday, the district will have to add on days at the end of the school year or semester to meet the state’s requirement of instructional days.
An update on when and if schools will close this week is expected to be announced by 1:30 p.m. Tuesday by the district.
Other districts have already pulled the trigger and canceled classes.
Steve Lanier, Franklin County Schools Superintendent, announced on Facebook that the district would be closing schools on Wednesday, Thursday and Friday.
“Due to the developing storm in the Gulf of Mexico and the increasing likelihood of significant impacts on Franklin County, we are taking precautionary measures to ensure the safety of our students, staff, and families,” he wrote.
Hernando County Schools and district offices will also be closed Wednesday and Thursday.
Alaijah Brown covers children & families for the Tallahassee Democrat. She can be reached at [email protected]. Follow her on Twitter/X: @AlaijahBrown3.
This article originally appeared on Tallahassee Democrat: Leon Schools may close to become shelters for Hurricane Helene
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